The "Auction insights" report lets you compare your performance with other advertisers who are participating in the same auctions that you are. This information can help you make strategic decisions about bidding and budgeting by showing you where you're succeeding and where you may be missing opportunities for improved performance. The "Auction insights" report is available for Google Ads Search and Shopping campaigns.
This article explains the statistics available in the "Auction insights" report, how to find the report, and how to set a filter to locate the keywords, ad groups, and campaigns that have "Auction insights" reports available.
Auction insights statistics
The "Auction insights" report for Search campaigns provides 5 different statistics: impression share, overlap rate, position above rate, top of page rate, and outranking share. You can generate a report for one or more keywords, ad groups, or campaigns (as long as they meet a minimum threshold of activity for the time period selected), and segment results by time and device.
The "Auction insights" report for Shopping campaigns provides 3 different statistics: impression share, overlap rate, and outranking share. You can generate a report for one or more ad groups or campaigns (as long as they meet a minimum threshold of activity for the time period selected), and segment results by time and device. Auction insights data for Shopping campaigns is available from October 2014 to present.
Descriptions of the Auction insights statistics
Impression shareImpression share is the number of impressions you received divided by the estimated number of impressions you were eligible to receive. Eligibility is based on your current ads' targeting settings, approval statuses, bids, and Quality Scores. In the "Auction insights" report, impression share also tells you the impression share of other advertisers as a proportion of the auctions in which you were also competing.
Note for Shopping Campaigns: Shopping campaigns don’t use Quality Score. However, overall quality and relevance of your Shopping ads offers do factor into their eligibility. Learn more about tracking impression share.
Overlap rate
Overlap rate is how often another participant's ad received an impression when your ad also received an impression.
For example, if one of the other participants in your "Auction insights" report is showing “60%” in the "Overlap rate" column, this means that in 6 out of every 10 times your ad showed, an ad from this participant showed as well.
Position above rate (Search campaigns only)
Position above rate is how often the other participant’s ad was shown in a higher position than yours was, when both of your ads were shown at the same time.
For example, if one of the other advertisers in your "Auction insights" report is showing “5%” in the "Position above rate" column, this means that the other participant’s ad showed in a position above yours in 5 out of every 100 times your ads showed at the same time.
Top of page rate (Search campaigns only)
Absolute top of the page rate (Search campaigns only)
Absolute top of the page rate tells you how often your ad (or the ad of another participant, depending on which row you're viewing) was shown at the absolute top of the page as the very first ad above the organic search results.
For example, if out of 100 impressions, an ad has 10 impressions in which it appears as the first ad above the organic search results, the absolute top of page rate will be 10%.
Outranking share
This report provides information on other advertisers who participated in the same auctions as you. This doesn't indicate that the other advertisers have the same advertising settings as you. The other advertisers' metrics shown are based only on instances when your ads were also estimated to be eligible to appear. This report won't reveal the actual keywords, quality, bids, or settings from your campaigns, and it won't give you insight into the same information for others.
While this information is already available by searching on Google—and many already attempt to estimate this data by scanning the ads that appear—this report will make it easier to access and understand this information. It's available to advertisers whose keywords, product groups, ad groups, and campaigns have a minimum threshold of activity.
Find the Auction insights report
Auction insights data is available for Search and Shopping campaigns that meet a minimum threshold of activity. For Search campaigns, you can create a report for keywords, ad groups, and campaigns. For Shopping campaigns, you can create a report for ad groups and campaigns.
- Sign in to your new Search Ads 360.
- Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
- From the page menu on the left, click Campaigns, Ad groups, or Keywords based on what information you want to see in the report.
- Select a specific campaign, ad group, or keyword by selecting the checkbox next to each item.
- You can only select keywords on a single page at a time (unless you run a report for “All”).
- Click Auction insights on the blue bar above the table.
You'll now be taken to your "Auction insights" report.
- Only keywords and ad groups that meet a minimum threshold of activity will have the "Auction insights" report.
- If you selected only Search or only Shopping campaigns or ad groups, you'll see the corresponding "Auction insights" report.
- If you selected a mix of Search and Shopping campaigns or ad groups, you'll need to select the Search campaigns or Shopping campaigns option.
Filter your Auction insights
To help you locate keywords, ad groups, and campaigns that have "Auction insights" reports available, you can create a filter. The "Auction insights" filter allows you to see at a glance, which of your keywords, ad groups, or campaigns have "Auction insights" reports available to view.
- Click the filter icon
above your statistics table.
- Select one of the filters that appears to see a list of conditions for new filters.
- Enter the condition and click Apply. The table automatically updates to show you your keywords or ad groups with available "Auction insights" reports.
above your statistics table.